Disaster detection system

ABSTRACT

A disaster detection system may include a device processor; and a non-transitory computer readable medium including instructions executable by the device processor to perform the following steps: receiving data from a plurality of geographically distributed personal electronic devices; determining, based on the data received from the personal electronic devices, that a disaster has occurred; and sending information pertaining to the disaster to one or more of the personal electronic devices.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to provisional patent application No.62/753,374, filed on Oct. 31, 2018, the entire disclosure of which ishereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to the detection of eventsusing sensors in personal electronic devices and, more particularly,collectively utilizing data collected from a plurality of distributedpersonal electronic devices to determine the occurrence of events andproviding a response to the determination that such events haveoccurred.

BACKGROUND

There are programs for detecting natural disasters, such as earthquakes.These programs include stationary seismic monitoring systems. They arenot interactive with individuals in terms of providing information andassistance tailored to individuals or groups of individuals affected bysuch natural disasters. The information of where and when earthquakesoccur is available, but it is not readily provided to the public withany particular context or guidance as to what those in the public whoare affected by the disasters should do to best endure the event.

There are also systems that have been developed to detect criminalactivity, such as an active shooter in a civilian locality. Such systemsmay include sensors deployed on official vehicles, such as policehelicopters. However, the information collected and determined by suchsystems is not readily provided to the public.

There is a need in the art for a system and method that addresses theshortcomings discussed above. In particular, there is a need in the artfor disaster and crime detection systems that are more readilyaccessible to and interactive with the public.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure is directed to a system and methods for detectingevents. The disclosed system may collect data from personal electronicdevices, such as mobile phones, to detect the occurrence of naturaldisasters and/or criminal activity. Upon a determination that a naturaldisaster or criminal act has occurred, the system may send information,instructions, commands, or other communications to the personalelectronic devices affected by the events, including the personalelectronic devices from which the data was collected. The system mayalso send commands to third parties. Also, in some embodiments, thesystem may send commands to affect the operation of one or more controlsystems proximate to the location of the detected event.

In one aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a disasterdetection system. The system may include a device processor; and anon-transitory computer readable medium including instructionsexecutable by the device processor to perform the following steps:receiving data from a plurality of geographically distributed personalelectronic devices; determining, based on the data received from thepersonal electronic devices, that a disaster has occurred; and sendinginformation pertaining to the disaster to one or more of the personalelectronic devices.

In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a disasterdetection system, comprising: a device processor; and a non-transitorycomputer readable medium including instructions executable by the deviceprocessor to perform the following steps: receiving data from aplurality of geographically distributed personal electronic devices;determining, based on the data received from the personal electronicdevices, that a natural disaster has occurred; and sending one or morecommands pertaining to the natural disaster to one or more thirdparties.

In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a disasterdetection system, comprising: a device processor; and a non-transitorycomputer readable medium including instructions executable by the deviceprocessor to perform the following steps: receiving data from aplurality of geographically distributed personal electronic devices;determining, based on the data received from the personal electronicdevices, that a natural disaster has occurred; and sending one or morecommands pertaining to the natural disaster to regulate operation of oneor more control systems in a geographic area affected by the naturaldisaster.

In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a criminal actdetection system, comprising: a device processor; and a non-transitorycomputer readable medium including instructions executable by the deviceprocessor to perform the following steps: receiving data from aplurality of geographically distributed personal electronic devices;determining, based on the data received from the personal electronicdevices, that conduct consistent with a criminal act has occurred; andsending information pertaining to the conduct consistent with a criminalact to one or more of the personal electronic devices.

In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a criminal actdetection system, comprising: a device processor; and a non-transitorycomputer readable medium including instructions executable by the deviceprocessor to perform the following steps: receiving data from aplurality of geographically distributed personal electronic devices;determining, based on the data received from the personal electronicdevices, that conduct consistent with a criminal act has occurred; andsending one or more commands pertaining to the conduct consistent with acriminal act to one or more third parties.

In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a criminal actdetection system, comprising: a device processor; and a non-transitorycomputer readable medium including instructions executable by the deviceprocessor to perform the following steps: receiving data from aplurality of geographically distributed personal electronic devices;determining, based on the data received from the personal electronicdevices, that conduct consistent with a criminal act has occurred; andsending one or more commands pertaining to the conduct consistent with acriminal act to regulate operation of one or more control systems in ageographic area affected by the conduct consistent with a criminal act.

Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the disclosure willbe, or will become, apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art uponexamination of the following figures and detailed description. It isintended that all such additional systems, methods, features, andadvantages be included within this description and this summary, bewithin the scope of the disclosure, and be protected by the followingclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention can be better understood with reference to the followingdrawings and description. The components in the figures are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustratingthe principles of the invention. Moreover, in the figures, likereference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout thedifferent views.

FIGS. 1A and 1B provide a schematic illustration of an event detectionsystem and process;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a map showing distributed personalelectronic devices registering vibrations of an earthquake;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of the map of FIG. 2, showingexemplary determination of the earthquake epicenter;

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of an event detection system;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a process of determining theoccurrence of a natural disaster from data received from personalelectronic devices and sending information pertaining to the disaster tothe personal electronic devices;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process of determining theoccurrence of a natural disaster from data received from personalelectronic devices and sending a command pertaining to the disaster to athird party;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a process of determining theoccurrence of a natural disaster from data received from personalelectronic devices and sending a command pertaining to the disaster to acontrol system;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a process of determining theoccurrence of a natural disaster from data received from personalelectronic devices and sending different responses depending on theproximity of the personal electronic devices to the disaster;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating the detection of an activeshooter in a public civilian setting by a plurality of distributedpersonal electronic devices;

FIG. 10 is a schematic illustration of the diagram of FIG. 9 showingtriangulation of the location of the shooter using multiple personalelectronic devices;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a process of determining theoccurrence of a criminal act from data received from personal electronicdevices and sending information pertaining to the criminal act to thepersonal electronic devices;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a process of determining theoccurrence of a criminal act from data received from personal electronicdevices and sending a command pertaining to the criminal act to a thirdparty;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a process of determining theoccurrence of a criminal act from data received from personal electronicdevices and sending a command pertaining to the criminal act to acontrol system;

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a process of determining theoccurrence of a criminal act from data received from personal electronicdevices and sending different responses depending on the proximity ofthe personal electronic devices to the location of the criminal act.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The present disclosure is directed to an event detection system. Thesystem may utilize sensors commonly incorporated into personalelectronic devices to collect data from the surrounding environment. Thesystem may collect such data from a plurality of geographicallydistributed personal electronic devices. In some embodiments, one ormore of the plurality of personal electronic devices may be mobilephones. Mobile phones may be well suited for such data collection, sincemost people carry mobile phones on their person and keep them turned on(i.e., to receive telephone calls, text messages, emails, and/or othermeans of communication, such as social media alerts). With the devicesturned on, other sensors may be utilized to collect data from thesurroundings.

For example, in some embodiments, gyroscopes and/or accelerometers inthe devices may be used to detect shaking, for example, from anearthquake. Although personal electronic devices experience shaking andvibrations during everyday use (e.g., from walking or riding in avehicle), in an earthquake, many phones in proximity to one another willexperience the same or similar shaking pattern at the same time. Whenthe same or similar shaking pattern is detected in multiple personalelectronic devices at the same time, it can be determined that anearthquake has been detected. From data collected from multiple personalelectronic devices, it can be determined the magnitude, epicenter, andaffected area (e.g., how far from the epicenter can the shaking bedetermined as hazardous) of an earthquake. In some cases, slightdifferences between the times at which the data is recorded may alsoindicate location, direction, or magnitude of the event. For example, asa shock wave from an earthquake propagates, it will be recorded slightlyearlier by users' phones that are closer to the epicenter, and slightlylater by users' phones that are further from the epicenter. Thesedifferences in timing may be used to determine information about theevent.

In some embodiments, the microphone of the personal electronic devicesmay record ambient noise. Such sound monitoring may be used to detectgunshots. Sound data collected from multiple personal electronic devicesmay be used to determine the location from which the shots were fired.This may assist authorities in finding an active shooter in a civilianarea. This detection system may also be used in a militarized area aswell, e.g., to determine the location of a sniper. In a militarysetting, the personal electronic devices from which data is collectedmay need to be other than mobile phones, which are not always carried bysoldiers. For example, the microphones in soldiers' communicationsequipment (“comms”) may be implemented to collect sound data totriangulate the location of a shooter.

In addition to gyroscope/accelerometer data and/or microphone data,global positioning system (GPS) data from the personal electronicdevices may also be collected and included in the analysis to determinethe occurrence, location, and magnitude of events.

FIGS. 1A and 1B provide a schematic illustration of an event detectionsystem and process. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, an event detectionsystem 100 is illustrated in terms of its functional processes. In someembodiments, system 100 may be a natural disaster detection system. Forexample, in some embodiments, system 100 may be an earthquake detectionsystem. In some embodiments, system 100 may be a criminal act detectionsystem. For example, in some embodiments, system 100 may be configuredto detect gunshots.

As shown in FIG. 1A, a step 102 indicates a process of data collectionfrom a plurality of geographically distributed personal electronicdevices. The plurality of personal electronic devices may be anysuitable devices having the sensors and data collection capabilitiesconfigured to collect the data needed to determine whether the monitoredevent has occurred. For purposes of this discussion, personal electronicdevices shall be considered to encompass handheld devices, such asmobile phones, smart phones, tablets, music players, etc., as well aswearable devices, such as smart watches, fitness trackers, etc.

As shown in FIG. 1A, a plurality of mobile phones may be utilized tocollect the data. For example, a first phone 110 may include a pluralityof sensors and data collection features including a first GPS system111, a first gyroscope 112, a first accelerometer 113, and a firstmicrophone 114. A second phone 120 may include a plurality of sensorsand data collection features including a second GPS system 121, a secondgyroscope 122, a second accelerometer 123, and a second microphone 124.Further, a third phone 130 may include a plurality of sensors and datacollection features including a third GPS system 131, a third gyroscope132, a third accelerometer 123, and a third microphone 134.

Data may be collected by these sensors in a plurality of personalelectronic devices. Although three phones are shown for purposes ofillustration, it will be understood that system 100 may collect datafrom many personal electronic devices. In an area where people aregathered, such as a sporting event, theatre, shopping center, etc., datamay be collected from hundreds or thousands of personal electronicdevices. In a metropolitan area, data may be collected from tens orhundreds of thousands of personal electronic devices. These sensors mayeach be of the type conventionally provided in smart phones for example.

A step 104 illustrates a process of determining, based on the datareceived from the personal electronic devices in step 102, that an eventhas occurred. For example, in some embodiments, step 104 may determinethat a natural disaster has occurred (step 135), such as an earthquake(step 140). In some embodiments, step 104 may determine that a criminalact has occurred (step 145), such as gunshots from an active shooter(step 150). The systems disclosed herein may be configured to detect anytype of disaster, naturally occurring, or otherwise. For example,detectable disasters may include not only earthquakes, but also othertypes of natural disasters, such as tornados, hurricanes, forest fires,and/or floods, as well as other types of disasters, such as explosions,chemical leaks, etc. For purposes of explanation, the disclosed disasterdetection system will be discussed in the context of an earthquakedetection system. Similarly, it will be understood that the disclosedsystems may be configured to detect any type of criminal act, includingbombings, deployment of biological weapons, deployment of chemicalweapons, etc. For purposes of explanation, the disclosed criminal actdetection system will be discussed in the context of an active shooter.

In order to make such determinations, the system may include a centralcontroller, which may include a device processor and a non-transitorycomputer readable medium including instructions executable by the deviceprocessor. Features and capabilities of such components are discussed ingreater detail below.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1B, a step 106 illustrates a process of takingresponsive action based on the determination made in Step 104. In someembodiments, the responsive action may include sending information toone or more personal electronic devices (step 160). For example, step160 may include sending information pertaining to the natural disasteror criminal act to one or more of the personal electronic devices. Insome embodiments, the information may be sent to the personal electronicdevices from which data has been collected. In some embodiments, theinformation may be sent to other personal electronic devices determinedto be located in an area potentially affected by the event detected bythe system.

In some embodiments, the information pertaining to the detected eventmay include an identification of an escape route (step 161). Forexample, system 100 may determine one or more viable escape routes fromthe location of a personal electronic device to an area that is less (ornot) affected by the detected event. The escape route may be selectedand directly input into a mapping app on the personal electronic deviceso that the user of the personal electronic device may follow thenavigation instructions of the identified escape route.

In some embodiments, the information pertaining to the detected eventmay include an identification of shelter for users of the one or morepersonal electronic devices (step 162). For example, system 100 mayidentify a shelter, such as a sturdy building, underground facility, orother location of safety that is in the geographic area proximate to thepersonal electronic device.

In some embodiments, the information pertaining to the detected eventmay include an identification of resources for users of the one or morepersonal electronic devices (step 163). For example, system 100 may sendmessages identifying resources, such as gas stations, grocery stores,banking facilities, and hardware stores, as well as water, electricalpower, medical treatment, and other supplies and services provided bydisaster support organizations.

In some embodiments, the information pertaining to the detected eventmay include one or more warning messages for users of the one or morepersonal electronic devices (step 164). Such warning messages may alertusers to an event that has occurred or is ongoing in their area. Suchmessages may identify the type of event and, to the extent known, thelocation of the event.

In some embodiments, the information pertaining to the detected eventmay include one or more commands to operate features of the one or morepersonal electronic devices (step 165), for example by turning thefeatures on or off.

In some cases, the commands may be to activate various features of thepersonal electronic devices. For example, in some embodiments, theinformation may include commands for phones in the area to beginrecording data from the phones' microphones or other sensors. In someembodiments, the information may include an instruction for the personalelectronic devices to emit a siren or other audible alert. In somecases, the sirens could be used as a panic alarm alerting others to thedistress of the device user. In other cases, it could be to warn theuser themselves. Further, in some cases, the system may be configured tosend instructions to all devices in a locality to emit a high pitchedsiren. Collectively, multiple devices emitting such a harsh sound may beincapacitating, or at least distracting, to a perpetrator, such as anactive shooter. In some embodiments, the information may includeinstructions for turning on the lights of the phone, such as aflashlight. By turning on the flash light, the user may be able to findtheir phone in the dark; also, the flash light may light up a dark room.If multiple users have the same or similar functions operated, the wholeroom could be lit up by the phones' flashlights. Also, the collection oflights could be used to blind a would be assailant.

In some embodiments, the information may include commands to deactivatevarious features of the personal electronic devices. For example, insome cases, the information may include instructions to silence one ormore sound emitting functions of the phones. Additionally, oralternatively, the information may include commands to turn off thephones' lights and screens. Turning off such features may conservebattery life of the phones. In addition, by turning off audible andvisual features of the phones, it may assist users to avoid detection byan active shooter.

In some embodiments, the responsive action taken may include sending oneor more commands pertaining to the natural disaster or criminal act toone or more third parties (step 170).

In some embodiments, system 100 may be configured to send one or morecommands pertaining to the natural disaster or criminal act, includinginstructions to dispatch first responders to a location affected by thenatural disaster or criminal act (step 171). For example, system 100 maybe configured to send instructions for the dispatch of police,firefighters, medical providers, etc.

In some embodiments, the one or more commands pertaining to the naturaldisaster or criminal act may include one or more alerts to one or moreorganizations that provide support for natural disasters (step 172). Forexample, such alerts may include notifications to support organizations,such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the American RedCross, and various other organizations that provide aid in the event ofemergency situations.

In some embodiments, the one or more commands pertaining to the naturaldisaster or criminal act may include one or more orders of disasterrecovery supplies (step 173). For example, system 100 may be configuredto send orders for supplies, such as water, blankets, electrical power,and other supplies and services.

In some embodiments, action taken in response to detection of a disasteror criminal act may be preventative action taken in order to preventfurther harm by the disaster or criminal (step 180). For example, insome embodiments, the responsive action taken may include sending one ormore commands pertaining to the natural disaster or criminal act toregulate operation of one or more control systems in a geographic areaaffected by the natural disaster.

In some embodiments, the one or more commands pertaining to the naturaldisaster or criminal act include instructions for regulating operationof one or more building systems. For example, the one or more buildingsystems may include at least one of door locks 181, window locks 182;elevators 183; lights 184; and heating, ventilation, and airconditioning (HVAC) 185. Other such building systems may includesecurity systems, electricity, video systems, audio systems, Wi-Fi, etc.Such control of building systems may be executed via the Internet ofThings (IoT). That is, those systems may be networked, and thus,controllable via an Internet connection.

These building systems may be controlled to assist people in and aroundthe buildings that house them. For example, in some cases, door locksmay be unlocked to allow people to enter safer areas, such as a basementarea. In other cases, door locks may be locked in order to prevent anactive shooter from entering an area of the building in which people arelocated. Similarly, lights, window locks, elevators, and HVAC systemsmay be turned on or off depending on what would be most beneficial tothe occupants of the building or others who may take refuge in thebuilding during or after a natural disaster or criminal act.

In some embodiments, the one or more commands pertaining to the naturaldisaster or criminal act may include instructions for regulatingoperation of one or more transportation systems. For example, suchtransportation systems may include at least one of traffic lights 186,public transportation 187, air traffic control 188, and roadwaymanagement 190. In some embodiments, the one or more commands pertainingto the natural disaster or criminal act include instructions forregulating operation of one or more public utilities 189. As with thebuilding systems, the operation of the transportation systems and/orpublic utilities may be regulated to benefit the people in the areaaffected by the natural disaster or criminal act. For example, it may bebeneficial to change a section of highway system so that both northboundand southbound lanes are used for southbound traffic in order tofacilitate an evacuation away from a natural disaster located to thenorth of the section of highway in question. In some cases, it may bebeneficial to shut down all public transportation, in order to limit theability of a criminal to escape and evade capture by the police. Inother cases, it may be beneficial to dispatch more buses than usual inorder to facilitate an evacuation in the event of a natural disaster.

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a map showing geographicallydistributed personal electronic devices registering vibrations of anearthquake. As shown in FIG. 2, a map 200 illustrates a plurality ofmobile phones distributed about a geographic area. The detection ofvibrations by the phones is illustrated schematically. FIG. 2illustrates an epicenter 205. Surrounding epicenter 205 are concentricrings indicating radial distance from epicenter 205. For example, afirst region 210 is centrally located and includes epicenter 205. Asecond region 220 is concentrically disposed about first region 210. Athird region 230 is concentrically disposed about second region 220. Inaddition, a fourth region 240 is concentrically disposed about thirdregion 230.

The effects of the earthquake generally diminish with distance fromepicenter 205. Accordingly, mobile devices disposed closer to epicenter205 may detect more severe vibrations than mobile devices that aredisposed further away from epicenter 205. As shown in FIG. 2, a firstphone 212 is disposed within first region 210. Four wavy lines 214 areshown on either side of first phone 212 as well as about other phoneswithin first region 210. These four wavy lines 214 schematicallyillustrate the severity of the shaking that first phone 212 experiencesas a result of the earthquake.

A second phone 222 is disposed within second region 220. Three wavylines 224 are shown in both sides of second phone 222 (and other phoneswithin second region 220). These three wavy lines 224, by having fewerlines, illustrate less severe vibration experienced by second phone 222as compared to first phone 212. Similarly, a third phone 232 is disposedwithin third region 230. Two wavy lines 234 are shown on both sides ofthird phone 232 (and other phones within third region 230) to illustrateless severe vibration experienced by third phone 232 as compared to thatexperienced by second phone 222. Also, a fourth phone 242 is disposedwithin fourth region 240. A single wavy line is shown on both sides offourth phone 242 (and other phones within fourth region 240) toillustrate less severe vibration experienced by fourth phone 242 ascompared to third phone 232.

It will be noted that, for purposes of illustration and clarity, only 10or fewer phones are shown in each region of FIG. 2. It will beunderstood that, in some cases, data may be collected from many morephones (e.g., hundreds or thousands of phones and/or other personalelectronic devices) in a given geographic region. It will also beunderstood that the detection of natural disasters and/or criminal actsdiscussed herein can be detected based on data from a relatively smallnumber of personal electronic devices.

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of the map of FIG. 2, showingexemplary determination of the earthquake epicenter. FIG. 3schematically illustrates triangulation of the location of earthquakeepicenter 205. As shown in FIG. 3, a first dashed circle 216 is drawnabout first phone 212, with the radius of first dashed circle 216 beingrelatively small, indicating an estimation that the epicenter is closeto first phone 212, since the vibration is relatively severe compared toother phones from which data is collected. A second dashed circle 228 isdrawn about second phone 222, similarly illustrating an estimateddistance to the epicenter. A fifth phone 226 is also shown in FIG. 3. Athird dashed circle 229 illustrates an estimated distance from fifthphone 226 to the epicenter. The intersection of first dashed circle 216,second dashed circle 228, and third dashed circle 229 can be determinedto be epicenter 205. While this triangulation can be performed with asfew as three geographically distributed personal electronic devices, aneven more precise determination of the location of the epicenter may bedetermined using data from more than three geographically distributedpersonal electronic devices. It will be understood that more complexmethodologies may be used for determining an earthquake epicenter. Datafrom multiple sources (e.g., multiple personal electronic devices) maybe analyzed and compared to known data patterns consistent withearthquake activity. This may enable the system to decipher betweenvarious events that cause shaking. For example, by comparing datapatterns, the system may distinguish an earthquake from a volcaniceruption or a bomb explosion. In some embodiments, the data may becombined with data from other sources, such as the GeographicInformation System (GIS), United States Geological Survey (USGS), etc.,in order to make more accurate determinations and characterizations ofearthquake events.

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of an event detection system. Asshown in FIG. 4, event detection system 100 includes a centralcontroller 400. Central controller may include a device processor and anon-transitory computer readable medium including instructionsexecutable by the device processor to perform the processes discussedherein. Controller 400 may be configured to receive data from aplurality of geographically distributed personal electronic devices.From this data, controller 400 may determine that a natural disaster orcriminal act has occurred. In addition, controller 400 may be configuredto send information, instructions, alerts, commands, or other signalspertaining to the detected event in response to the event beingdetected.

Controller 400 may include various computing and communicationshardware. For example, controller 400 may include a device processor anda non-transitory computer readable medium including instructionsexecutable by the device processor. The computer readable medium mayinclude any suitable computer readable medium, such as a memory, such asRAM, ROM, flash memory, or any other type of memory known in the art.Controller 400 may include other computing hardware, such as servers,integrated circuits, displays, etc.

Further, controller 400 may include networking hardware configured tointerface with other nodes of a network, such as a LAN, WLAN, or othernetworks. For example, controller 400 may include a receiver and atransmitter. (It will be appreciated that, in some embodiments, thereceiver and transmitter may be combined in a transceiver.)

As shown in FIG. 4, a first dashed line 405 indicates the receipt of asignal from first phone 212 by controller 400. A second dashed line 410illustrates information/signals sent by controller 400 to first phone212. The communication indicated by first dashed line 405 and seconddashed line 410 may be via any platform over which first phone 212 isconfigured to communicate. For example, the information may be deliveredvia Internet connection, satellite connection, telecommunicationsprotocol, or any other platform usable by first phone 212.

Similarly, a third dashed line 415 indicates the receipt of informationby controller 400 from second phone 222, and a fourth dashed line 420indicates the delivery of information from controller 400 to secondphone 222. In some embodiments, the platform of communication betweencontroller 400 and second phone 222 may be the same as, or similar to,the platform of communication between controller 400 and first phone212. In some embodiments, the platforms of communication may bedifferent from one another.

Further, a fifth dashed line 425 indicates the receipt of information bycontroller 400 from third phone 232, and a sixth dashed line 430indicates the delivery of information from controller 400 to third phone232. In some embodiments, the platform of communication betweencontroller 400 and third phone 232 may be the same as, or similar to,the platform of communication between controller 400 and first phone212. In some embodiments, the platforms of communication may bedifferent from one another.

Also, a seventh dashed line 435 indicates the receipt of information bycontroller 400 from fourth phone 242, and an eighth dashed line 440indicates the delivery of information from controller 400 to fourthphone 242. In some embodiments, the platform of communication betweencontroller 400 and fourth phone 242 may be the same as, or similar to,the platform of communication between controller 400 and first phone212. In some embodiments, the platforms of communication may bedifferent from one another.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a process of determining theoccurrence of a natural disaster from data received from personalelectronic devices and sending information pertaining to the disaster tothe personal electronic devices. As shown in FIG. 5, the computerreadable medium may include instructions executable by the processor toreceive data from a plurality of personal electronic devices (step 500).

The computer readable medium may further include instructions todetermine the occurrence of a natural disaster (step 505). In someembodiments, the system may be configured to detect the occurrence of anatural disaster, such as an earthquake. In such embodiments, thecomputer readable medium may include instructions for determininglocation information pertaining to the disaster based on GPS informationcollected from the plurality of personal electronic devices. Forexample, in embodiments where the natural disaster is an earthquake, thelocation information may include the location of the epicenter of theearthquake. In addition, the computer readable medium may furtherinclude instructions for determining the magnitude of the earthquakebased on the data received from the plurality of geographicallydistributed personal electronic devices.

As also shown in FIG. 5, the computer readable medium may includeinstructions to send information pertaining to the detected disaster toone or more personal electronic devices (step 510). As discussed above,the information may include, for example, an escape route for users ofthe one or more personal electronic devices; an identification ofshelter for users of the one or more personal electronic devices; anidentification of resources for users of the one or more personalelectronic devices; and/or one or more warning messages for users of theone or more personal electronic devices.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process of determining theoccurrence of a natural disaster from data received from personalelectronic devices and sending a command pertaining to the disaster to athird party. As shown in FIG. 6, the computer readable medium mayinclude instructions executable by the processor to receive data from aplurality of personal electronic devices (step 600). The computerreadable medium may further include instructions to determine theoccurrence of a natural disaster (step 605), such as an earthquake, asdiscussed above.

As also shown in FIG. 6, the computer readable medium may includeinstructions for sending a command pertaining to the natural disaster toa third party (step 610). As discussed above, exemplary commands sent tothird parties may include instructions to dispatch first responders,alerts sent to organizations that provide support for emergency reliefefforts, and commands for ordering supplies.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a process of determining theoccurrence of a natural disaster from data received from personalelectronic devices and sending a command pertaining to the disaster toone or more control systems in the area of the disaster. As shown inFIG. 7, the computer readable medium may include instructions executableby the processor to receive data from a plurality of personal electronicdevices (step 700). The computer readable medium may further includeinstructions to determine the occurrence of a natural disaster (step705), such as an earthquake, as discussed above.

As also shown in FIG. 7, the computer readable medium may includeinstructions for sending a command pertaining to the disaster toregulate operation of a control system in the area affected by thedisaster. As discussed above, such commands may include commands for theoperation of building systems, transportation systems, and/or publicutilities.

In some embodiments, the same information and/or commands may be sent toall devices and parties upon detection of an event. For example, analert that an earthquake has occurred may be sent with the same contentto all devices in a locality deemed to be potentially affected by theearthquake. In some embodiments, different information may be sent todifferent devices or parties depending on their location with respect tothe detected event. For example, a suggested escape route may be sent todevices determined to be a moderate distance from the epicenter of anearthquake. Whereas, for devices determined to be close to the epicenterof an earthquake, there may be too much destruction to provide an escaperoute, and thus, information may be sent identifying a nearby shelter(e.g., a sturdy and/or earthquake resistant building).

Accordingly, the non-transitory computer readable medium includesinstructions for sending different information pertaining to the naturaldisaster to different personal electronic devices, based on the locationinformation of the natural disaster, depending on the location of eachpersonal electronic device with respect to the natural disaster.Further, the non-transitory computer readable medium may includeinstructions for sending different commands pertaining to the naturaldisaster to different control systems, based on the location informationof the natural disaster, depending on the location of each controlsystem with respect to the natural disaster.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a process of determining theoccurrence of a natural disaster from data received from personalelectronic devices and sending different responses depending on theproximity of the personal electronic devices to the disaster. As shownin FIG. 8, the computer readable medium may include instructionsexecutable by the processor to receive data from a plurality of personalelectronic devices (step 800). The computer readable medium may furtherinclude instructions to determine the occurrence of a natural disaster(step 805), such as an earthquake, as discussed above.

In addition, as also shown in FIG. 8, the computer readable medium mayinclude instructions for determining the location of the disaster (step810), for example, using GPS data collected from the personal electronicdevices. The computer readable medium may include instructions fordetermining, based on the collected data, whether a personal electronicdevice is within a predetermined distance to the location of a disaster(step 815). If yes, a first type of response may be sent to personalelectronic devices, third parties, or control systems (step 820). Ifnot, a second type of response may be sent to personal electronicdevices, third parties, or control systems (step 825).

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating the detection of an activeshooter in a public civilian setting by a plurality of distributedpersonal electronic devices. As shown in FIG. 9, a schematic diagram 900may illustrate a criminal act, specifically a shooting in a public area.As shown in FIG. 9, a shooter may fire from a building 905, at a firinglocation 910. FIG. 9 illustrates a gunshot trajectory 917 from firinglocation 910 several floors up in a high rise building 905 down to arecreational area 915, such as an audience area for an outdoor theateror concert stage.

As shown in FIG. 9, data can be collected from a plurality of personalelectronic devices in the areas surrounding building 905. For example, afirst phone 920 closest to the firing location 910 is illustrated withsound waves 925, representing the sound of gunfire received by themicrophone of first phone 920. Similarly, the sound of the gunshots mayalso be recorded by and collected from a second phone 930 and a thirdphone 935. Further, sound data may also be collected from the shooter'sown phone 940.

FIG. 10 is a schematic illustration of the diagram of FIG. 9 showingtriangulation of the location of the shooter using multiple personalelectronic devices. As shown in FIG. 10, a first dashed circle 928indicates how far away from first phone 920 the gunshots were fired.Similarly, a second dashed circle 932 indicates the distance of thegunfire from second phone 915. Also, a third dashed circle 937 indicatesthe distance of the gunfire from third phone 935. The intersection pointbetween first dashed circle 928, second dashed circle 932, and thirddashed circle 937 may be determined to be the location from which thegunshots were fired.

In addition, in some embodiments, the location of the shooter may bedetermined based on a differential volume between two or more gunshots.That is to say that, because people tend to scatter at the sound ofgunfire, devices in the line of fire will likely record separategunshots at a different volume. In contrast, the shooter's own phonewill likely record each of the gunshots at substantially the samevolume. Accordingly, of all devices from which data is collected, thedevice that records the gunshots with the smallest differential volumecan be determined to be at the location from which the shots were fired.Similarly, the timing at which the gunshots are recorded by each devicewill vary depending on how close or far the device is from the shooter.The system may be configured to utilize these differences in timing todetermine information about the shooter. Also, the sound signature maybe used to determine the type of gun and ammunition used.

Accordingly, in some embodiments, the computer readable medium furtherincludes instructions for determining location information of thelocation from which multiple gunshots have been fired by comparing adifferential between volume levels detected for two gunshots by theplurality of personal electronic devices; and identifying a device withthe smallest volume differential as being at, or closest to, thelocation from which the multiple gunshots were fired.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a process of determining theoccurrence of a criminal act from data received from personal electronicdevices and sending information pertaining to the criminal act to thepersonal electronic devices. As shown in FIG. 11, the computer readablemedium may include instructions executable by the processor to receivedata from a plurality of personal electronic devices (step 1100). Thecomputer readable medium may further include instructions to determinethe occurrence of conduct consistent with a criminal act (step 1105),such as an active shooter, as discussed above.

As also shown in FIG. 11, the computer readable medium may includeinstructions to send information pertaining to the detected conductconsistent with a criminal act to one or more personal electronicdevices (step 1110). As discussed above, the information may include,for example, an escape route for users of the one or more personalelectronic devices; an identification of shelter for users of the one ormore personal electronic devices; an identification of resources forusers of the one or more personal electronic devices; and/or one or morewarning messages for users of the one or more personal electronicdevices.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a process of determining theoccurrence of a criminal act from data received from personal electronicdevices and sending a command pertaining to the criminal act to a thirdparty. As shown in FIG. 12, the computer readable medium may includeinstructions executable by the processor to receive data from aplurality of personal electronic devices (step 1200). The computerreadable medium may further include instructions to determine theoccurrence of conduct consistent with a criminal act (step 1205), suchas an active shooter, as discussed above.

As also shown in FIG. 12, the computer readable medium may includeinstructions for sending a command pertaining to the conduct consistentwith a criminal act to a third party (step 1210). As discussed above,exemplary commands sent to third parties may include instructions todispatch first responders, alerts sent to organizations that providesupport for emergency relief efforts, and commands for orderingsupplies.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a process of determining theoccurrence of a criminal act from data received from personal electronicdevices and sending a command pertaining to the criminal act to thepersonal electronic devices. As shown in FIG. 13, the computer readablemedium may include instructions executable by the processor to receivedata from a plurality of personal electronic devices (step 1300). Thecomputer readable medium may further include instructions to determinethe occurrence of conduct consistent with a criminal act (step 1305),such as an active shooter, as discussed above.

As also shown in FIG. 13, the computer readable medium may includeinstructions for sending a command pertaining to the conduct consistentwith a criminal act to regulate operation of a control system in thearea affected by the disaster. As discussed above, such commands mayinclude commands for the operation of building systems, transportationsystems, and/or public utilities.

In some embodiments, the same information and/or commands may be sent toall devices and parties upon detection of an event. For example, analert that conduct consistent with a crime is ongoing may be sent withthe same content to all devices in a locality deemed to be potentiallyaffected by the conduct consistent with a crime. In some embodiments,different information may be sent to different devices or partiesdepending on their location with respect to the detected event. Forexample, a suggested escape route may be sent to devices determined tobe a moderate distance from an active shooting. Whereas, for devicesdetermined to be close to the shooting, it may be less risky to simplyfind shelter, and thus, information may be sent identifying a nearbyshelter (e.g., a nearby lockable room in a building).

Accordingly, the non-transitory computer readable medium includesinstructions for sending different information pertaining to the conductconsistent with a crime to different personal electronic devices, basedon the location information of the conduct, depending on the location ofeach personal electronic device with respect to the conduct. Further,the non-transitory computer readable medium may include instructions forsending different commands pertaining to the conduct consistent with acriminal act to different control systems, based on the locationinformation of the conduct, depending on the location of each controlsystem with respect to the conduct.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a process of determining theoccurrence of a criminal act from data received from personal electronicdevices and sending different responses depending on the proximity ofthe personal electronic devices to the location of the criminal act. Asshown in FIG. 14, the computer readable medium may include instructionsexecutable by the processor to receive data from a plurality of personalelectronic devices (step 1400). The computer readable medium may furtherinclude instructions to determine the occurrence of a natural disaster(step 1405), such as an earthquake, as discussed above.

In addition, as also shown in FIG. 14, the computer readable medium mayinclude instructions for determining the location of the conductconsistent with a criminal act (step 1410), for example, using GPS datacollected from the personal electronic devices. The computer readablemedium may include instructions for determining, based on the collecteddata, whether a personal electronic device is within a predetermineddistance to the location of a conduct (step 1415). If yes, a first typeof response may be sent to personal electronic devices, third parties,or control systems (step 1420). If not, a second type of response may besent to personal electronic devices, third parties, or control systems(step 1425).

The embodiments discussed herein may make use of methods and systems inartificial intelligence to improve efficiency and effectiveness of thedisclosed systems. As used herein, “artificial intelligence” may includeany known methods in machine learning and related fields. As examples,artificial intelligence may include systems and methods used in deeplearning and machine vision.

While various embodiments have been described, the description isintended to be exemplary, rather than limiting, and it will be apparentto those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments andimplementations are possible that are within the scope of theembodiments. Although many possible combinations of features are shownin the accompanying figures and discussed in this detailed description,many other combinations of the disclosed features are possible. Anyfeature of any embodiment may be used in combination with, orsubstituted for, any other feature or element in any other embodimentunless specifically restricted. Therefore, it will be understood thatany of the features shown and/or discussed in the present disclosure maybe implemented together in any suitable combination. Accordingly, theembodiments are not to be restricted except in light of the attachedclaims and their equivalents. Also, various modifications and changesmay be made within the scope of the attached claims.

We claim:
 1. A disaster detection system, comprising: a deviceprocessor; and a non-transitory computer readable medium includinginstructions executable by the device processor to perform the followingsteps: receiving data from a plurality of geographically distributedpersonal electronic devices; determining, based on the data receivedfrom the personal electronic devices, that a disaster has occurred;sending information pertaining to the disaster to one or more of thepersonal electronic devices; determining location information of thedisaster based on the data received from the personal electronicdevices; and sending different information pertaining to the disaster todifferent personal electronic devices, based on the location informationof the disaster, depending on the location of each personal electronicdevice with respect to the disaster.
 2. The system of claim 1, whereinthe data received from the plurality of personal electronic devicesincludes at least one of gyroscope data and accelerometer data.
 3. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the data received from the plurality ofpersonal electronic devices includes global positioning system (GPS)data.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the disaster is an earthquakeand the location information includes the location of the epicenter ofthe earthquake.
 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the non-transitorycomputer readable medium further includes instructions for determiningthe magnitude of the earthquake based on the data received from theplurality of geographically distributed personal electronic devices. 6.The system of claim 1, wherein the information pertaining to thedisaster includes at least one of: an escape route for users of the oneor more personal electronic devices; an identification of shelter forusers of the one or more personal electronic devices; an identificationof resources for users of the one or more personal electronic devices;and one or more warning messages for users of the one or more personalelectronic devices.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the informationpertaining to the disaster includes: one or more commands to operatefeatures of the one or more personal electronic devices.
 8. The systemof claim 7, wherein the one or more commands include instructions tooperate the one or more personal electronic devices to perform at leastone of the following: recording ambient noise; recording data from phonesensors; producing a siren sound; silencing one or more sound emittingfunctions; turning on phone lights; and turning off phone lights.
 9. Adisaster detection system, comprising: a device processor; and anon-transitory computer readable medium including instructionsexecutable by the device processor to perform the following steps:receiving data from a plurality of geographically distributed personalelectronic devices; determining, based on the data received from thepersonal electronic devices, that a disaster has occurred; sending oneor more commands pertaining to the disaster to regulate operation of oneor more control systems in a geographic area affected by the disaster;and sending different commands pertaining to the disaster to differentcontrol systems, based on the location information of the disaster,depending on the location of each control system with respect to thedisaster.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more commandspertaining to the disaster include instructions for regulating operationof one or more building systems.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein theone or more building systems include at least one of door locks, windowlocks; elevators; lights; and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning(HVAC).
 12. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more commandspertaining to the disaster include instructions for regulating operationof one or more transportation systems.
 13. The system of claim 12,wherein the one or more transportation systems include at least one oftraffic lights, roadway management, public transportation, and airtraffic control.
 14. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or morecommands pertaining to the disaster include instructions for regulatingoperation of one or more public utilities.
 15. The system of claim 9,wherein the data received from the plurality of personal electronicdevices includes global positioning system (GPS) data.
 16. The system ofclaim 15, wherein the non-transitory computer readable medium furtherincludes instructions for determining location information of thedisaster based on the GPS data.